The Copy Killer
by Blazerxz
Summary: As the title states, somebody is killing off the "copy" characters in Super Smash Bros. But as the killer keeps taking copies out, they may have to kill a few other Smashers to throw people off his trail.
1. The First Victims

Disclaimer: I don't own Super Smash Bros or any of the characters in the games. They are the property of their creators.

This is my first attempt at writing a Smash Bros story and a mystery story in general. As such, if it seems too obvious or something please let me know so I can try to fix it if not for this story but for the future.

* * *

><p>It was night. The park was empty, save for two figures that were cloaked by darkness. Normally, the moon would brighten the area enough for the two to be seen, but the cloud cover made it so that the moonlight could not bathe the area.<p>

One of the two was panting. "Heh he, is that all you got," the panting figure quipped.

The other figure, who had a cloak on, replied, "You are in no position to be joking. As you can see, this is not a smash match. Anything I do to you here is permanent, including death."

The panting figure dashed away and jumped into the trees, shouting out as they left, "Well then, I guess you'll have to catch me!" The figure jumped from tree to tree quickly, trying to lose the attacker. After a minute or two of escape, the retreating figure stopped on a tree branch and caught their breath, "Whew. Looks like I lost him."

"You would like to think that, wouldn't you," the cloaked figure said from behind the retreating figure.

The non-cloaked figure turned around and gasped, "How the hell did you catch up to me so quickly? I'm one of the fastest Smashers!"

The cloaked figure grinned wickedly before saying, "Come now, you know me better than that."

The cloaked figure lowered the hood of the cloak, causing the tired figure's jaw to drop in surprise and say, "You? I can't believe that you of all people-." The tired figure stopped mid-sentence because his assailant had stabbed him in the chest with something. The tired figure gasped as he started to bleed from the wound and again when he was stabbed a second time in the heart, instantly killing him. The dead body dropped from the tree and fell into a nearby bush.

"Well," the killer said, leaving the scene of the crime, "I guess I don't have to the move the body now."

* * *

><p>It was the morning following the murder, and numerous people were walking through the park. There were two people of interest however. As the couple walked through the beautiful park, random bystanders noticed several things. They noticed the pink dress and crown the girl wore. They saw the blue overalls over a red shirt the man had as well as his red hat.<p>

For almost all of these people, they instantly knew who these two were. They were Mario and Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, and they were two of the warriors that had fought bravely against Tabuu and the Subspace Army. The two year anniversary of Tabuu's defeat was only about a week away, at which time a new smash tournament would take place.

About two weeks ago, those who took part in the second smash tournament but not the third were invited to participate because this tournament was an exhibition. The real fourth tournament was not going to occur for a few more years. As the two were walking along, they were talking about something.

"So Princess," Mario said, starting the conversation, "How do-a you like-a the park?"

"It's lovely Mario. It reminds me so much of the castle garden back home. When do you think we'll get a chance to go back," was Peach's reply.

Mario tapped his chin and said, "Hmm. Oh! I think-a Master Hand said-a we could go back-a home a couple of weeks after the next-a tournament."

Peach looked to the sky and said, "A few weeks huh? I guess Toadsworth can manage until then."

"It'll be nice-a to go back-a home. But I'll miss all of my new friends," Mario said with a sigh.

Peach smiled and said, "I'm certain we'll see them again at the next tournament."

Mario smiled and said, "Wahoo!" After a few seconds, the Italian plumber sniffed and said, "Mamma Mia! What is-a that-a horrible odor? It stinks more than the pipes used to get into Bowser's Castle!" Mario looked around for the source and moved some bushes aside before seeing the dead body from last night. "Princess," Mario called out, "Call the police! And-a Master Hand!"

* * *

><p>It was an hour after Mario discovered the body. "I can't believe this," Master Hand said despite lacking a mouth, "Why would anyone kill Falco?" The crime scene investigators were currently looking over the bush that Mario found Falco's body in, as well as the corpse of Star Fox's best pilot.<p>

"Beats me," the police officer heading the operation said, "But from the looks of it, it was simply a random homicide. Our friend here was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I suppose you are correct," the giant, floating glove lamented."

A voice called out, "Let me see him!"

One of the officers said, "Hey son, calm down. You can't just barge onto a crime scene."

"I don't know dude, he's got a gun. A damn nice one at that," a second officer said.

The first officer sighed and said, "Fine. But don't interfere with the crime scene."

Master Hand turned to the disturbance and said, "Oh, Fox. I was hoping to tell you this in private later. I'm terribly sorry for what has happened."

Standing at the scene of the crime was a brown, anthropomorphic fox wearing a black undershirt and a gray jacket. He had a blaster holstered at his hip and was looking at the body with uncertain eyes. "That can't really be him, can it? This is some sort of trick right," Fox said, trying to lie to himself.

"I wish it were Fox. But sadly we must face facts. Falco is dead," Master Hand told the captain of Star Fox.

Fox merely stood there staring at Falco's body for a good three minutes before he ran away quickly. "Fox," Master Hand called out.

The head officer interrupted, "Let him go. I've seen this plenty of times, he'll come around quickly."

Master Hand turned to look at the body again and said, "I hope you are right."

* * *

><p>Fox burst through the doors to the mansion and shouted out, "All right! Where is he?"<p>

A man wearing a blue racing suit with gold boots and gloves, as well as a blue helmet was sitting on a couch watching television in the adjacent room. He turned to look at the entryway and said, "Who, Falco? Haven't seen him since last night dude."

"Falco's dead. I'm looking for Wolf. Have you seen him Captain Falcon," Fox replied bitterly.

Captain Falcon cringed and said, "I'm sorry I haven't seen Wolf. I'm sorry to hear that Falco's dead."

Fox simply ran into a different area of the house. He ran into the kitchen, where he saw a man wearing a green tunic with blond hair under a green cap. He had a sword and shield strapped to his back. With him was a reptilian creature with dark yellow skin, sharp claws, a little bit of fiery red hair, and a green spiked shell. The two were currently having a tug of war with a box of cereal.

"Let go lizard brain! I was here first, so I should get the cereal," the man said.

The reptilian beast snarled and replied, "Not a chance Link! This is my favorite kind of cereal, so I say it's mine!"

Link tugged back and said, "Do we have to settle this with a fight, Bowser?"

"Fine by me," Bowser said as he and Link placed the cereal box on the counter. As he left Bowser said, "You should record this Fox. It'll be great material to torment fairy boy here with."

Link stayed behind for a minute and said, "Is everything all right Fox?"

"You mean besides the fact that Falco is dead and I can't find Wolf anywhere? Yeah things are fine," Star Fox's captain sarcastically replied.

"Falco is dead? Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm afraid I don't know where to find Wolf. Sorry Fox," the Hylian sadly replied as he departed to challenge Bowser.

Once Link and Bowser left, one of the cabinets opened and out popped a pink, puffball like creature. It had big blue eyes and it had big red shoes for feet. It looked up at Fox for a moment before it noticed the cereal box on the counter and used a suction ability to inhale the cereal box into its mouth, swallowing it whole.

Fox sighed and said, "It might be pointless asking this, but do you know where Wolf is Kirby?"

Kirby turned to Fox and nodded before running off toward the hanger bay attached to the mansion. Fox gave chase, following the puffball inside the other building until Kirby stopped.

In front of Kirby was a golden yellow ship. There was a green viewport on it. Working on the underbelly of the ship was a person in an orange, robotic suit of armor. Fox facepalmed and said, "That's Samus, not Wolf."

Looking over from her work, Samus removed her helmet and said, "What's that about Wolf?"

"I'm looking for him. I think he may have killed Falco," Fox said bluntly.

"Well, I haven't seen him around today, but I might have an idea where he might be," Samus said before putting her helmet back on, "Come on, let's go."

She pressed a button on her suit and a hatch popped down from the bottom of the ship. The bounty hunter and space pilot stood on the platform that descended from the ship. The platform lifted the two smashers into the ship, and Samus said, "Hey, sorry in advance if it's cramped in my ship. It's really only meant for one person, though it could fit two people."

"It's not a problem. I need to figure out why Falco was killed and the sooner I get to the bottom of this mystery, the sooner Falco can rest in peace," Fox replied. Samus sat at the controls and started up the ship that looked a lot like her helmet. The landing gear retracted as the thrusters started to work, making the ship hover over the ground. The roof of the hanger bay retracted as Samus' ship prepared to leave. The ship accelerated forward, and out into the atmosphere, its destination currently unknown.

* * *

><p>Master Hand floated down a hallway of the mansion with two of the guests from the second Smash tournament. One of them carried a sheathed sword and was wearing blue armor. He had a matching headband on his head that kept his red hair out of his face. The other person was very pale, almost purely white, with a purple tail. His hands had three small circular fingers and he levitated over the ground.<p>

"It's very unfortunate that Falco was killed last night, but I don't plan on canceling the tournament. I want to welcome you two as well as the others back and I feel like that won't happen without the tournament," Master Hand stated.

The man with the sword shrugged and said, "Even without the tournament, I would come back if given the option. I like the challenge of fighting with everyone else here."

The other being telepathically said, "You would say that Roy. Aren't you at least a little bit upset that Ike replaced you? I'm a little miffed at Lucario personally."

"Not really. I mean, yeah he's a swordsman and his sword has some fire properties, but aside from that there aren't any real similarities between he and I. You and Lucario are pretty different too, Mewtwo," Roy stated.

Master Hand interrupted, "Well, should things go well in this tournament, then I think you two as well as the other three can come back."

"Personally, I would love that," Roy said. Mewtwo snorted and said, "You would say that. I don't know if I'll come back. I've got other things that I need to attend to."

"Well, you're here for the duration of the tournament. Why don't a few of the Smashers take you two into town so that you can see what it's like here? I have a feeling all future Smash tournaments will take place here so you should get acquainted with the surrounding area," Master Hand suggested.

Roy smiled and said, "I like that idea. Who would be going?"

Master Hand floated in midair before he snapped his fingers and said, "I will send a bunch of the Smashers, as we need to pick some things up in town. I'll send Mario, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Zelda, Bowser, Marth, Meta Knight, Lucas and Toon Link. Some can show you around while others run errands."

"My old pal Marth! I can't wait to catch up with him. I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him yet," Roy cheered.

Mewtwo muttered, "Yeah, keep cheering like that Roy. You're only going to give me a migraine."

* * *

><p>Samus' ship flew through the vast reaches of space for a few minutes at near-warp speeds until it approached a small moon. Samus took the ship down slowly in front of a large building. Alien music could be heard from the building.<p>

"What is this place," Fox asked, confused about where he was.

Samus shrugged and said, "Between tournaments and other things, I've explored this universe."

Fox looked even more confused as he asked, "This universe? What do you mean? Aren't we all from the same universe?"

"No. We all come from a variety of different universes. This universe is separate from all of the other ones. Anyways, as I explored, I discovered this place. It's like a bar or nightclub but it's where a lot of shady characters from this universe generally head to," Samus explained.

The ship landed and the two exited the craft, heading for the door. As they passed the various spacecraft that the patrons flew, Fox saw one in particular. "Hey! That looks a lot like Wolf's ship, the Wolfen," Fox exclaimed, pointing to the red and white ship that the Star Wolf captain piloted.

"Well then, let's find who you're looking for," Samus said as the two reached the entrance and the doors slid open. The strange music the two heard before was even louder now as they walked inside and looked around. There were a variety of creatures on the dance floor, dancing to the odd music. A DJ table was set up against a wall, where an octopus-like creature was using his multiple tentacles to spin and scratch numerous records simultaneously, producing an interesting sound.

Samus motioned to move around the crowd and once the duo reached the other side, she said to Fox, "I've come here a few times for information in the past. The person I usually ask, the bartender, is on the third floor."

The two approached the elevator to the third floor and they saw a sign that said 'Elevator out of order.'

"I guess we take the stairs," Fox said, heading for the door to the stairwell.

"I've never been to the second floor. I wonder what it could be," Samus commented as the two Smashers entered the stairwell.

* * *

><p>Roy and Mewtwo were standing in the foyer of the mansion with Master Hand. The nine Smashers the glove planned on sending into town were present as well. "Roy, Mewtwo, I'm certain you remember most of these people from the first smash tournament," Master Hand commented, only to see that Roy wasn't next to him.<p>

The swordsman was talking to another swordsman with blue hair and was wearing blue armor and a blue cape. Master hand floated there for a second before stating, "Well then, Mewtwo, you already know Mario, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, Zelda, Bowser and Marth."

"Indeed I do. You had better hope I don't fight you in the tournament Pikachu. If I can beat you in a Pokemon battle, you won't last in a fighting tournament," Mewtwo taunted to a small, yellow rodent creature. Electricity crackled in its cheeks as if to respond to this threat.

A woman with brown hair and wearing a purple and white dress pet the Pokemon on its head, saying, "Don't listen to him Pikachu. He doesn't know what a Final Smash is."

"Final what now? Explain yourself Zelda," the psychic-type Pokemon commanded.

Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, shook her head and replied, "Master Hand said we can't tell you anything about the third tournament. He'll go into details the differences between everything before this new tournament starts."

Master Hand pointed to the other three people in the room and said, "Before you all leave, let me introduce you to some of the new Smashers." Pointing to a small round, masked man with a cape, he said, "This is Meta Knight."

The masked man pulled out a sword and said, "If what the others tell me is correct, you shall be a good rival Mewtwo."

"Yes, and if what the others have told me is correct, you're ridiculously cheap," Mewtwo replied.

"Moving on, this is Lucas," the glove said, pointing to a boy wearing a red and yellow striped shirt. His blond hair was styled similarly to the way Elvis' hair was styled.

"Um, Hi," the boy said meekly.

Master Hand pointed to the last of the people and said, "And this is Toon Link." A young boy that looked just like Link with the exception of his freakishly large eyes, his lighter colored clothes and the fact that he looked like a cartoon.

"Hi guys! It's great to meet you," Toon Link excitedly said.

"Right," Mewtwo replied with a bit of uncertainty.

"Well then, lets-a go," Mario said as the eleven Smashers left the mansion.

It was quiet for a few seconds until Link shouted, "What happened to the cereal?"

* * *

><p>Fox and Samus opened the second floor door and entered the room. The two Smashers had to cross the room in order to make it to the third floor stairwell. What they saw though, surprised them. They were in what would best be described as a strip club. Scantily clad women were all over the place, dancing on poles, some giving men lap dances, others could be heard inside of semi-private, locked rooms, moaning and shouting.<p>

"Ugh, this disgusts me," Samus said to her companion, as they began to walk across the room. Fox tried to ignore the women from various species trying to attract as much attention and make as much money as possible. They crossed the room as quickly as possible, eventually making it to the other side of the room.

"Let's hurry up and get to the next floor. The longer I stay here, the dirtier I feel," Samus said, opening the door.

Fox nodded and said, "Agreed." The door closed behind them as they began the climb to the third floor. Once they reached the door, Samus opened it and headed straight for the counter.

She stood there for a second before a bipedal, troll-like creature walked over and said, "Samus! Always a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you today?"

The bounty hunter pointed at Fox and said, "I'm not actually here today for me, Flamehorn. I'm helping out my friend here. He's looking for somebody."

Flamehorn the bartender nodded and said, "And who is your friend looking for?"

"I'm looking for Wolf O'Donnell. Samus thought he might be here," Fox replied.

"Yeah, Wolf's here all right. He's had quite a few in the last hour or so," Flamehorn said, pointing down the bar to what looked like a gray anthropomorphic wolf with his head face down on the counter.

Fox nodded to the bartender and said, "Thanks."

"No problem buddy. I'm willing to help Samus or one of her friends. She's always helping me track down lowlifes who rob the place," Flamehorn said as he went to clean some empty glasses.

Fox walked down to the other end of the counter where Wolf still had his face on the counter. The captain of Star Fox pulled his blaster from its holster and aimed it at his rival, saying, "Alright Wolf, tell me, why did you kill Falco?"

"Huh? Who's that," Wolf muttered as he lifted his head off the table, his Dragon Ball Z-like scouter missing from his face. The gray-furred wolf stared at his rival before breaking out into a smile and saying in a bit of a drunken slur, "Hey Fox, old buddy old pal! How've ya been?"

"Didn't you just hear me? Falco's dead! And you killed him," Fox shouted, his grip on the gun unwavering.

"Who's Falco again? He's the bird right? Or is he the frog," Wolf said, clearly drunk to some extent.

Fox facepalmed and said, "Yes. Falco is the bird. He's dead now. Did you kill him?"

Wolf hiccupped and said, "I don't remember man."

"Samus, do you know how to get him sobered up," Fox asked.

"I've got one idea," replied the bounty hunter as she threw a cup of cold water at the drunken wolf.

The water splashed all over his face, and he immediately growled, "Hey Samus, you've got a lot of nerve to do that to me!"

Fox aimed his blaster at his rival again and said, "Now that you're nice and sober, did you kill Falco?"

"Birdbrain? Hell no, Panther called the kill shot on him. I'm only out to beat one person, and that's you Fox," Wolf replied before asking, "Wait, you mean he's dead? As in literally dead?"

Fox holstered his blaster and said, "Yeah. He was stabbed by someone last night."

Wolf frowned and replied, "And because you and I are enemies, you just naturally assumed it was me?"

"Pretty much," Fox said with a nod.

"Well I can guarantee that I wasn't the one who killed him. Isn't that right Flamehorn? I was here since last night," Wolf asked the bartender.

Flamehorn nodded and said, "Yeah, you were here since last night."

"Wait, so if you didn't kill Falco, then who did," Fox asked, confused over the current events.

Wolf shrugged and said, "Hell if I know. Well, I think it's about time I headed back to the mansion." The leader of Star Wolf put some money on the bar, got up and left, heading for his ship.

"Well this sucks," Fox said as he started to walk away.

"Hey, Fox," Flamehorn said, attracting the fox's attention.

"Yes? What is it," asked the leader of Star Fox. Flamehorn pulled a napkin out from his apron and said, "This one guy's come in here regularly for a while now and every time he comes, he scribbles the same thing on a napkin. I wish I could tell you what he looked like but he always wore a cloak. I only know it's a guy because he always asks for some sort of drink."

Fox picked up the napkin and looked at it before he said, "This just says the words 'Kill the Copies' over and over."

"Exactly. Every napkin the guy writes on, he writes those three words over and over,"

Flamehorn replied, "I don't know if that helps you, but it just might."

Samus nodded and said, "Thanks Flamehorn. Give me a call if you ever need any help."

The bartender nodded and said, "Can do Samus." The two Smashers then went back to the ship to return to the mansion.

* * *

><p>The nine Smashers showing Mewtwo and Roy around the city stopped in front of a small fountain in the center of a public square. "So, who wants to do the errands Master Hand asked us to do," Zelda asked, casting a glance around the others.<p>

Lucas, wishing to avoid the two newcomers, raised his hand and timidly said, "I'll do some of them."

Mario nodded and said, "Me too! Wahoo!"

Zelda cast a glance at the rest of the Smashers and said, "I guess I could do the rest of them."

"All right! So should three of us each go with Mewtwo and Roy and show them around," Captain Falcon asked.

"I'm cool with that," Roy said with a shrug.

Meta Knight looked at the Smashers assembled and suggested, "Well, how about Pikachu, Marth and Toon Link go with Roy and Captain Falcon, Bowser and myself go with Mewtwo?"

"I don't particularly care too much," Mewtwo remarked.

"All right! Lets-a go! Should we meet back here in an hour," Mario suggested.

Zelda nodded and said, "That should give us enough time to do what we need to do." The group then split up to do what they had planned to do.

* * *

><p>Three men were sitting on a couch in the Smash mansion, watching TV. "Hey, can you change the channel," a man wearing a blue shirt with some pieces of armor here and there and a red cape asked.<p>

One of the other men, who wore a camouflage suit and had a bandanna on his head, asked in reply, "Why? What would you rather watch Ike?"

Ike shrugged and said, "I was just wondering what was on Snake. Though it looks like Luigi doesn't like what's on right now." Ike and Snake looked at the other end of the couch were a man wearing overalls over a green shirt as well as a green hat was huddling in the fetal position.

"Okay. So maybe this war movie wasn't a great idea," Snake commented while stroking his chin, his hand running over the beard stubble.

At this moment Master Hand floated in and said, "Hey, I sent some Smashers to run some errands and I forgot a couple. Would you mind doing them?"

"We don't have much of a choice in the matter, do we," Snake asked.

"No. Have fun," Master Hand said as he departed.

Ike got up and said, "All right. Hey Luigi! We're going to run some errands. Come on."

"You don't-a have to tell me twice," the green-suited plumber said as he quickly got up.

Snake got up as well and said, "Well we don't have all day, let's go." The three Smashers then departed the mansion to run the errand for Master Hand.

* * *

><p>Many of the Smashers were in a department store running the errands for Master Hand or showing the others around. The only people who weren't in the store right now that went with the group were Mario and Zelda. Captain Falcon was showing Mewtwo the armory that this department store had for some reason. "So this is where Master Hand orders the Cracker Launchers and Ray Guns from. I know you used Ray Guns but I think the Cracker Launcher may be one of the best weapons in the game," the F-Zero pilot explained.<p>

"Oh? And why is that," Mewtwo said in a tone that implied he didn't care.

Bowser didn't pick up on this and so the king of the koopas explained, "It fires about fifteen shots that explode on impact. If you can juggle an enemy in the air with one of these guns, they're gonna be knocked out soon enough."

"You mean like what happened during your fight with Link earlier," Meta Knight asked, somewhat mockingly.

"Shut up," Bowser grumbled.

"Hey guys," a voice called out and the four turned to see Snake, Luigi and Ike standing around.

Captain Falcon waved and said, "What's up?"

"Master Hand forgot some errands on the list he gave you so he asked us to go," Ike said with a shrug.

"Hey there plumber boy. I hope you haven't forgotten how great I am," Mewtwo smugly said.

Luigi shook slightly and said, "N-n-no, I haven't."

Mewtwo smirked and said, "That's right. And you aren't going to forget it."

Snake frowned and said, "Hey, leave Luigi alone. He's been in more of these tournaments than you have."

Mewtwo crossed his arms and said, "Oh yeah? Well I think-." The power suddenly went out and the entire building was cloaked in darkness.

* * *

><p>"Pit, wake up. I've sensed something terrible," a voice sounded inside the head of one of the Smashers. The person in question woke up and stretched, stretching his white wings and moving his arms around the sleeves of his white tunic. A crown of laurel branches rested atop his head of brown hair.<p>

Pit yawned and asked, "What is it Lady Palutena?"

A hologram-like image of a woman with long green hair wearing a white dress and a considerable amount of jewelry appeared and it said, "I had a vision that one of your fellow Smashers is in terrible danger. I don't know who it is but I fear that they may be close to death."

"What? Lady Palutena, you have to tell me where they are," Pit exclaimed, picking up the Sacred Bow of Palutena that was entrusted to him by the Goddess of Light.

The image of Palutena nodded and said, "In my vision, whoever it was in danger was at the department store in town. You must go quickly. Take Sonic, Yoshi and Link with you. Hurry Pit."

Pit nodded and dashed out the room, exclaiming, "I'm on my way Lady Palutena!"

* * *

><p>Inside the department store, many people were in a panic. People were running around in the dark, causing items to fall everywhere and people to fall as well. Amid all the chaos around them, a figure approached one of the Smashers. The Smasher was unaware that someone was behind them. The figure smirked behind their cloak and pulled an object out from behind their back. It was a piece of merchandise that the store sold: A sharp kitchen knife. The figure raised the knife and quickly ended the life of the Smasher by slashing their neck. The figure then stuck the knife in the back of the now-dead Smasher and left the scene of the crime, removing a glove from the hand they used to murder the Smasher.<p>

* * *

><p>When power was finally restored, Mewtwo looked to see Luigi huddled in a corner with his legs drawn up to his chest. "How the hell did you manage to make your way through a haunted mansion yet you can't stand total darkness," Mewtwo asked to nobody in particular.<p>

Ike frowned and said, "Leave him alone Mewtwo. Jeez, I guess everybody was right when they said you're a jerk."

Mewtwo said in fake emotion, "I'm wounded Ike, I really am. I actually admired you. Few people are actually able to stand up to the powers of a God and live to tell the tale."

"Thanks, I guess," Ike responded.

"So where are Falcon, Meta Knight, Snake and Bowser," Mewtwo asked.

Ike tapped his chin in thought and said, "Captain Falcon knows the layout of this building really well. He probably took them to the roof."

Luigi walked over and said, "Well then, lets-a go there or out the main entrance. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Attention shoppers," a voice said over the P.A. system, "We regret to inform you that nobody will be allowed to leave for a moment. We've had a bit of a situation that needs taking care of."

* * *

><p>Pit glided over to the top of the hill overlooking the town. As he landed, a blue hedgehog wearing red sneakers skidded to a stop next to him. A moment later, Link arrived riding a green dinosaur with a red shell-like saddle on its back.<p>

Sonic quipped, "Hey, how come the mansion is so far from the town if we need to go to the town every day or two?"

"It's because of the Smash fights. We have them on location at the mansion and if we get to close to the town, there could be collateral damage," Link replied.

"Makes sense to me," Sonic said with a shrug.

"Uh oh. This can't be good," Pit stated. The four Smashers looked into the town at the department store and saw a good half dozen police cars waiting out front. Pit looked up to the sky and said, "Whatever Palutena tried to warn us about, I fear we are too late."

* * *

><p>Only one chapter in and two people are dead! Falco and somebody inside the department store that isn't Mewtwo, Ike or Luigi are our victims so far. I have plans for this to be about six or seven chapters long. In total, I plan on killing off no more than eight people. Make guesses and please tell me your criticisms, so long as you aren't an asshole about it. Thank you and please wait for the next chapter. Until next time!<p> 


	2. The Killing Continues

Disclaimer: Super Smash Bros or any affiliated characters are not owned by me they are owned by their creators.

* * *

><p><span>Response to Reviews<span>

Link's Little Brother: It might have been Lucas, it might not have been. You'll find out soon enough.

Ray-Kat-Hollows: Given the Continuity of Smash Bros, technically Ike would be the "copy" of Roy, not the other way around. That being said, if I am planning to kill off any Fire Emblem character, it won't be until the end of the story, since I love me some Fire Emblem, so you don't need to worry. Yet.

* * *

><p>"Okay. Thank you for informing me on the situation," Master Hand remarked as he hung up the phone. The hand sighed somehow and said aloud, "What are the odds? Two deaths in just as many days. At least this appeared to be an accident. He was by that knife display in the store." A light knocking interrupted the hand's thoughts and he said, "Come in."<p>

A blue, weasel-like creature with a silver spike in the middle of his body entered the room. His red eyes showed concern and he said, "Master Hand, are you all right? I can sense through your aura that you're stressed."

"I have a lot on my mind right now Lucario. Another Smasher has been found dead. This time it appeared to be an accident, but it still disturbs me that these deaths are so quickly after each other," Master Hand stated before he asked, "I need to make an announcement to the whole house. Can you find the others and gather them up?"

"I will find all of those who are still here and gather them up," Lucario answered before departing the room.

* * *

><p>Samus' ship landed inside the hangar of the Smash Mansion after which she exited the craft along with Fox. Wolf's ship, the Wolfen, was also present in the hangar bay, and the wolf that piloted it was checking a few things on his ship. Lucario entered the hangar and saw his fellow Smashers. "Ah there you are. Good. Master Hand wants to talk to all of us," the Aura Pokemon said.<p>

Samus nodded and said, "Understood. Thanks Lucario."

The Pokemon left the hangar and Wolf looked up from his work, asking, "So Master Hand wants to talk to us, huh? I wonder what he wants to talk about."

Fox shot a somewhat dirty look at Wolf and said, "It probably has something to do with the murder."

"Whatever it is, we won't find out just standing here," Samus stated as she left the hangar bay.

Wolf stopped working and said, "Might as well get going. The sooner this meeting is done, the sooner I can get back to work."

* * *

><p>Inside the meeting room of the mansion, numerous people were sitting around, talking and waiting for the meeting to begin. Master Hand entered the room, followed by his so-called brother, Crazy Hand. Master Hand waited at the podium near the back of the room while Crazy Hand floated nearby, twitching occasionally. Once everybody settled down, Master Hand began the meeting, "Thank you all for coming. As you should know by now, your fellow Smasher Falco was murdered last night."<p>

"Wait, seriously? I thought everybody was kidding about that," commented a blue, penguin-like creature wearing a red robe and hat with gold trim. In one of his yellow, glove-like hands was the handle of a large mallet.

Fox glared at the penguin and said, "That wasn't a joke Dedede! He really was murdered!"

A man with dark skin and red hair wearing dark colored armor let out a laugh and said, "Well look at that, Fox has a temper."

"I would be quiet if I were you Ganondorf," Samus commented, aiming her arm cannon at the King of Evil.

Master Hand cleared his nonexistent throat and said, "Yes, anyways. I have just received word that another Smasher was killed at the department store in town. The power had gone out and in the chaos a knife display was knocked over, killing Toon Link."

A teen wearing a red jacket and blue jeans as well as a red hat pat the shoulder of a person that looked like a younger version of Link and said, "I'm so sorry Young Link. It must be hard to find out that one of your counterparts is dead."

"I know it's sad, but it's not too bad Red. I mean, he was the least liked out of the three Links," Young Link replied, shrugging, "Besides, we're all from such different time periods, that we don't have any real connection."

"Moving on, we're planning on having a funeral for the two of them later this week," Master Hand remarked, "That is all, you may go."

* * *

><p>Mewtwo had his arms crossed and was tapping one of his arms. After a moment, he said, "So why are we still waiting around here? We might not be able to leave but at the least, can't we go somewhere else in the store?"<p>

"Y-yeah. Can we go to the roof," Luigi timidly asked.

Ike shrugged and said, "I don't see why not." The three Smashers walked to the stairwell and climbed the two floors of stairs to the roof. Upon opening the door to the roof, they saw a few of their companions.

"Hey guys, you got any idea what's going on," Captain Falcon asked.

"With the announcement? No, not at all," Ike answered.

Bowser pointed to the front of the building and said, "No dumbass, we mean what's up with the cop cars."

Luigi peered over the edge of the building and said, "Why would the cops be here?"

Snake climbed out of his cardboard box and said, "Well, if I had to guess, someone tried to steal things from the store."

"Does that really warrant that many police cars," Ike asked.

Mewtwo sarcastically said, "Do you have a better explanation?"

"It's a bit of a stretch, but how about a hostage situation," Snake asked.

Captain Falcon asked, "Hostages? You sure man? I don't think they would call in lab technicians if it were hostages."

"Guys! There you are," Meta Knight remarked as he walked out of the stairwell and onto the roof.

Ike turned and said, "Meta Knight, do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"

The masked swordsman nodded and said, "Yes, someone here was killed. I don't know who it is, but apparently a display fell onto whoever it was and they were killed." Everyone was shocked silent at this revelation.

* * *

><p>Pit, Link, Sonic and Yoshi made their way to the front of the store where they were stopped by police officers. "Sorry folks, you can't go in right now," a police officer said.<p>

Pit asked, "What's even going on right now?"

A second police officer answered, "There's been a homicide. Knives fell from a display inside and killed someone."

"Who was it that died," Sonic asked while tapping his foot impatiently.

The first police officer responded, "Unfortunately, we're not ready to reveal the identity of the victim yet."

Link sighed and said, "Well, thanks anyway." The group of four then turned around and proceeded to head back to the mansion.

* * *

><p>Roy, Pikachu and Marth were in an elevator, which was currently stopped. "Man, Toon Link is gonna be waiting forever for us," Marth said.<p>

Roy chuckled and replied, "Ironic, isn't it? We figured we would have to wait for him when he went to the bathroom, but since the power went out, we've been sitting here."

Marth nodded and said, "Yeah, that's true. Hey, wait a second. Couldn't we get the elevator working if Pikachu started it?"

"That might work. You want to give it a try Pikachu," Roy asked the small Pokemon.

Pikachu nodded and exclaimed, "Pika Pika!" Electricity cackled in its cheeks before it launched a blast of electricity at the control box of the elevator, causing it to start.

The elevator moved to the bottom of the building, where the doors opened. The two swordsmen and the Pokemon exited the elevator before a pair of police officers said, "Hey you three! Stop! We have some questions to ask you!"

"Well this can't be good," Roy commented.

Marth nodded and said, "You said it."

* * *

><p>Several hours later, all of the Smashers were eventually allowed to return to the mansion, where those who were at the department store learned of Toon Link's death. Fox was sitting in a study, looking over the current roster of those who were at the mansion, trying to determine who could've killed Falco.<p>

Fox crossed off several names and murmured, "No, he's too nice. I doubt they could hold a weapon. I helped him during the subspace ordeal."

Samus entered the room suddenly and asked, "What are you up to?"

"Ah! Oh, it's just you Samus. I'm trying to figure out if one of the others possibly killed Falco," Fox explained after he was scared by the bounty hunter.

"If it was any of them, I would put money on Bowser, Ganondorf, or Wario. Other than them, I don't think anyone would kill him. It could've just been a random person," Samus commented, looking over Fox's list.

Fox sighed before commenting, "Yeah, I know. I just want to figure out who killed him. It's what he would have done for me."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the mansion, Mario was wearing all white and had a silver disk that doctors typically wore on a headband. In truth, this was Dr. Mario, an alternate form of Mario that was somehow allowed to coexist at the same time as Mario.<p>

Regardless, he was proceeding down the hall, currently in a partial state of depression. "Mamma Mia, two people have died and I have been powerless to help them," Dr. Mario lamented.

"Don't give up on yourself," a female voice said. The doctor turned around and noticed Zelda standing near a doorway. The Hylian continued, "You might not have been able to help Falco or Toon Link, but if you think you won't be able to help anyone, then when we need you, you won't be able to help. So don't give up and believe in yourself."

"Thank you. I-a needed that," Dr. Mario stated as he continued toward his room.

* * *

><p>Inside of Pit's room, the angel sighed as he looked at a picture of Palutena, the goddess of light. "I failed you Lady Palutena," Pit sighed as his wings drooped.<p>

"No Pit, you have not failed me," sounded a voice in Pit's head.

Pit looked up from the picture and said, "Lady Palutena? Is that you?"

Palutena's voice responded, "Yes Pit, it is me. Don't worry about failing me. I didn't tell you exactly what was going to happen as I myself did not know what would happen. But what I do know is that the danger has not passed. Keep your eyes open Pit, for I do not know where disaster will strike next."

"I won't fail you Lady Palutena. I'll help keep the others safe," Pit cheered.

"I have to go now Pit. If I figure anything else out, I'll contact you," Palutena remarked before her voice faded from Pit's mind.

* * *

><p>Walking through the forest outside the mansion were two monkeys. One of the two was much larger than the other and wore a tie while the smaller one wore a red shirt and hat. As they walked they encountered a young boy wearing a striped shirt and a red baseball hat as well as Young Link.<p>

Young Link greeted the larger monkey, "Hello Donkey Kong. Oh, Ness, who's the smaller monkey?"

The other boy, Ness laughed and replied, "That's Diddy Kong."

The two primates began to communicate and Young Link asked, "What are they saying?"

"I'll use my psychic energy to see if I can translate," Ness said as he began to focus. After a few moments Ness said, "They're saying that they feel sorry for you regarding the death of Toon Link."

"Guys, it's fine. I didn't even know the guy. Just because we look alike and more or less have the same name does not mean we have some sort of connection," Young Link insisted.

The two monkeys began to communicate some more and Ness tried to translate, "Now they're asking if you want to go to the fight tomorrow. It's an exhibition match but it should give you a feel to how the competition works this time around."

Young Link shrugged and said, "I might as well. It would be nice knowing what the new items are and how they work."

"It's going to be a good match. Meta Knight is going to take on Marth. Supposedly there will be a second match between Mario and Sonic after the first one but that depends on how long the first match takes," Ness stated.

Donkey Kong nodded and gave a thumbs up to the match that would be occurring later on. Diddy Kong clapped his hands as he did a little dance, signifying his happiness. Ness and Young Link laughed as they planned when they would go to the match.

* * *

><p>The next day, Marth was practicing for the match later that night against a wooden training dummy when Roy and Ike walked in. Marth sheathed his sword and said, "Hey guys. What's up?"<p>

"Just here to wish you luck," Roy cheerfully stated.

Ike nodded and said, "Oh, and so we could get some good seats for the match tonight. I hear its going to be packed because Meta Knight has the most overall wins and you are one of the few that could feasibly take him down."

"I'm not that good, am I," Marth questioned, knowing how good Meta Knight was.

Ike shrugged and said, "You must have been. He was the one who requested you be his opponent."

Marth put his sword back into its scabbard and said, "Well, you guys should get seats. I'm going to wait for the match to start."

* * *

><p>It was time for the match to start and the stadium was filled. Many of the Smashers were present and random civilians from all around were present, waiting for the match to begin.<p>

Master Hand was in the press box and said, "Welcome everyone to today's exhibition match! We will start in just a few minutes. But first, welcome to the arena, the caped swordsman of the country of Altea, Marth!" The audience cheered wildly for the blue-haired swordsman, including a large number of girls.

"Also, please welcome to the arena, the masked swordsman of Dream Land, Meta Knight," Master Hand announced as a large number of people cheered wildly for the knight from Dream Land.

Master Hand shouted, "Are the competitors ready for the battle?"

Meta Knight slashed his sword a few times and said, "I hope you're ready Marth. It's not everyday I challenge somebody to a match."

"Believe me, I am beyond ready," Marth replied getting in his fighting position.

"Three! Two! One! Go," Master Hand announced as the two swordsmen dashed at each other.

Right before impact, Marth dodged out of the way to avoid the attempted stab from Meta Knight. Marth prepared to attack but Meta Knight leapt into the air and used his wings to propel him upwards for a little bit, allowing the masked swordsman to avoid the strike from the blue-haired swordsman. When Meta Knight landed, he brought his sword around toward Marth to block the strike the strike from the human swordsman.

The two clashed their blades many times in quick succession, trying to find an opening in the other's defenses. At one point, Marth pushed Meta Knight away before jumping and swinging his sword upwards, clipping Meta Knight in the chin. Meta Knight leapt upwards and hit Marth a few times while the Altean prince fell back to the ground. Once Marth landed, he immediately blocked and countered Meta Knight's next attack, hitting the masked swordsman once before following up with a quick four hit combo attack.

Meta Knight rolled to the side and did a spinning corkscrew, hitting Marth with his spinning blade, pushing Marth away. The two kept going at it, clashing blades for what seemed like hours.

"Man, Marth's doing way better than I thought he would," Link commented from his seat in the stands.

Ike smirked and noted, "Well, he is a hero from his world. And he has been training for the past few weeks just to make sure his skills are sharp."

Ness nodded and added, "True, but Meta Knight is no slouch either. He's not ranked number one in the tournament matches for nothing."

"He's only number one because he's so cheap," Bowser grumbled.

"Hey! That's my line," Sonic shouted from next to Bowser **[1]**. The king of the koopas promptly punched the blue hedgehog to shut him up.

The fight continued as Marth lunged at Meta Knight, who dodged out of the way before trying to strike Marth. The Altean prince had been expecting a move like this though and quickly charged a piercing stab that launched Meta Knight across the arena. The winged warrior used his wings to glide back to the battle, where he was quick to slice at Marth a few times. This attack pushed Marth towards the edge where all that was needed was a few quick attacks to knock the swordsman off the ledge.

The blue haired swordsman was unable to recover in time and was defeated. As the crowd cheered for the winner, Marth was brought back to the stadium floor with the retrieval system.

Meta Knight extended a gloved hand for a handshake and said, "It was a pleasure to be able to do battle with you."

Marth accepted the handshake and replied, "Likewise. I hope we can battle again sometime."

"And with a stunning victory, Meta Knight wins! Thank you everybody who came to this match. Due to the length of the match, the second match will take place at a later date," Master Hand announced as he closed the ceremonies.

* * *

><p>After the match, the group of Smashers were waiting outside for Marth and Meta Knight so they could all walk back to the mansion together. After a moment of waiting, a round, pink creature with large blue-green eyes and a little curl of what appeared to be hair said aloud, "Jiggly Puff Puff."<p>

The creature then walked back into the stadium while Bowser grunted, "What the hell did Jigglypuff say?"

Lucario translated, "I believe she said she had to use the restroom."

King Dedede looked shocked and said, "You guys use the bathroom?"

"Yes. We're done talking about this now," Lucario bluntly stated.

A minute after Jigglypuff went back inside, Marth and Meta Knight emerged from the arena. "Hey guys. Thanks for waiting. Are we set to go," Marth asked.

Sonic shook his head and said, "No. Jigglypuff went back inside to use the bathroom."

"So we wait for her to come back. How long could that be," Meta Knight asked.

* * *

><p>Inside the girl's restroom, Jigglypuff emerged from a stall and proceeded over to the sink to wash her small hands. As she was washing her hands, she was humming a little song to herself. When she turned around, she noticed a figure standing behind her, wearing a black cloak. "Jiggly! Puff, Jigglypuff," Jigglypuff exclaimed.<p>

The cloaked figure grunted and said in an emotionless tone, "I don't know what you said, nor do I care. I'm here strictly for business."

Jigglypuff was confused as the figure grabbed one of the sinks and threw it at Jigglypuff. The puffball dodged before using Rollout, striking the figure and knocking them back. The assailant recovered with just enough time to see Jigglypuff using Rollout a second time. The cloaked figure grabbed the attacking Pokemon and threw her at the far wall. Jigglypuff struck the wall and fell to the ground.

The Pokemon, knowing that it couldn't win, tried to make a break for the door, but her assailant threw the rest of the sinks at Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff dodged out of the way of the first few sinks, the porcelain shattering against the concrete walls and floor. The cloaked figure ran at the pink Pokemon and grabbed them, throwing them down to the ground forcefully.

"Jigglypuff," Jigglypuff sang, using her Sing attack. The attacker felt drowsy and yawned loudly, giving the puffball a chance to escape. Before Jigglypuff had a chance to escape, the cloaked figure shook off the tiredness and picked up some shards of the sinks and threw them at the retreating Pokemon.

Jigglypuff was hit with the shards and even cut in some places, though the injuries were not fatal. The Pokemon landed in the ever-growing pool of water on the floor due to the removed sinks. The small amount of blood that leaked from Jigglypuff's cuts became diluted in the water, causing the water to become tinged with red.

Jigglypuff struggled to get up, and when the light from above was blocked she looked up to see her attacker standing above her. Her attacker smiled and said, "Another job well done." The cloaked figure drove a large piece of porcelain from the shattered sinks into Jigglypuff's head, killing her. The figure exited the restroom and before they walked too far away, they could be heard saying, "Three down, so many more to go."

* * *

><p>Outside the stadium, those that had viewed the match were still waiting for Jigglypuff. "What could be taking her so long," Ike muttered.<p>

Bowser grumbled, "I don't know, but she's taking way too damn long."

Zelda quirked an eyebrow and asked, "Would you like me to go check on her?"

Sonic tapped his foot on the ground impatiently and asked, "Could you? I'm getting tired of waiting here." Zelda nodded and entered the stadium to find Jigglypuff.

Zelda walked the half-lit corridors of the stadium, looking for the women's restroom. When she got there, she heard the water running through the closed door. Zelda knocked on the door and asked, "Jigglypuff? You in there?"

Zelda got no answer but she pushed the door open anyways. She was greeted with the gruesome sight of Jigglypuff's bloody corpse sitting in a puddle of water. A large piece of the porcelain sink was still jutting from her forehead.

Zelda gagged before she leaned to the side and threw up. When she recovered, she ran back outside and said, "Guys! Somebody call the police!"

* * *

><p>It was now several hours later. The Smashers that were attending the fight, minus Jigglypuff for obvious reasons, were back at the mansion wondering how this kept happening. It was the third time somebody had died and they were starting to get the feeling that deaths would continue to happen. Zelda herself had been questioned, as she was the one who discovered the body. Inside one of the rooms of the mansion, a few people were talking.<p>

Lucas, Luigi and a short man wearing a space suit were talking. "It's not that I don't like it here, I do. I just think that right now it's not safe and we would be better off going elsewhere, at least for the time being," the man in the spacesuit said.

Luigi nodded and said, "I agree with you Olimar. I really do. But I think we would be safest right here."

Lucas trembled slightly and commented, "What if the killer is one of us? I mean, that would make it easy to keep tabs on everyone."

"How about this? Let's see how things go and if we later decide to leave, then we will," Olimar suggested.

"I can-a live with that," Luigi commented.

"M-me too," Lucas agreed.

* * *

><p>Pit was doing some target practice, shooting at some soda cans with his Arrows of Light. When he took down all five of the cans he had set up, he prepared to set up his targets again when he heard the voice of Palutena in his head. He heard her say, "Pit, I'm sensing that there will be another attack on one of your friends soon."<p>

"What! Do you know who," the angel asked, eager to stop whoever kept killing the Smashers.

"I'm afraid that I don't know," Palutena commented.

Pit sighed before tapping his chin and saying, "Lady Palutena, since there's no way we can tell who will be attacked, and there's no way I can defend everyone at once, do you think you could send some of the Centurions down to help?"

Palutena sighed and said, "I don't know how many of them are ready since you keep using them in combat, but I will see which ones can be deployed and I'll make sure they get to you soon."

"Thanks Lady Palutena," Pit happily said.

"Not a problem Pit. I want to help you find the one responsible for the killings," Palutena commented before she added, "I have to get going. If I learn anything new, I'll let you know." Pit nodded and headed back inside the mansion.

* * *

><p>Master Hand floated on a balcony overlooking the front yard of the mansion. The glove sighed and lamented, "I feel powerless right now. These fighters are under my care and three of them have died in the past three days. Someone or something is killing them and I need to do something to stop it, but what?"<p>

Crazy Hand floated onto the balcony and said, "Hey bro, what are you doing here? Planning to burn some stuff?"

"No, Crazy, I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do. If this sort of thing keeps up, then there will be no future tournaments. I just don't know who is killing these guys," Master Hand stated.

Crazy Hand twitched before saying, "What if I become a detective and try to solve this mystery? That'll work!"

"Crazy, you becoming a detective is about as likely as Mario shooting a gun. In other words, it'll never happen," Master Hand said with a deadpan.

Crazy Hand stopped for a second before he said, "Oh. Well how about I torture everyone I can find into giving me the information I need! That'll work for sure!"

Master Hand backed up before asking, "Did you forget to take your medication this morning?"

* * *

><p>The cloaked figure responsible for killing the three dead Smashers was sitting on the branch of a tree. From their vantage point, they could see the Smash Mansion and could see there were a few people present, but they couldn't tell who it was exactly. The figure chuckled darkly and said to himself, "Three down in three days. I'm going to have to be careful if I'm going to keep up my hunt. Kill off too many too quickly and they get too defensive. But if I wait a little while, their guard will drop, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike. So now, I wait."<p>

* * *

><p>It was two days since the last death and there was a funeral being held outside the mansion, in a little annex that Master Hand designated for a cemetery. He floated at a podium and behind him were the caskets of Falco, Toon Link and Jigglypuff. There were close to forty chairs on the lawn for the rest of the Smashers.<p>

As it neared ten o'clock, the starting time for the funeral, the Smashers began to assemble. Many of them had changed from their regular attire into what was commonly known as their "dark costume" as it seemed fitting for the occasion. Even Pit had magically changed the color of his wings to black.

As the angel went to his seat, he heard Palutena's voice say in his head, "Be on your guard Pit. I sense something is about to happen."

"Can do Lady Palutena. I'll keep the Mirror Shield at the ready," Pit confirmed as he took his seat.

Once all of the Smashers were accounted for, Master Hand cleared his throat and said, "Today we are here to mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of our three companions, Falco Lombardi, Toon Link and Jigglypuff. I will let some people close to them speak momentarily but before I do, I just want to say a few words. I had recruited these three for the tournaments because they were some of the strongest fighters of your worlds. They all had their own skills that helped make the tournaments successful. But as I organized the tournaments and worked alongside them just as I had worked alongside you, I realized that they had become something more. They became my friends, just as you have all become my friends. I hope that now they are in a better place and I hope that they may now rest in peace. Fox, would you care to say some words?"

Fox walked forward and he was dressed in his "dark costume" though his fur was the same color as usual. "Falco was one of my best friends. He and I have fought alongside each other for I don't know how long. We've saved our universe countless times. But aside from being the star pilot of Team Star Fox, he was a great person. He may have been a bit cocky and easily annoyed, but don't we all have our own flaws? When fighting in our universe and against the Subspace Army he was loyal to his friends," Fox said as he started to tear up slightly. Taking a deep breath he continued, "He's always been there to help me and I'll still be helping him. I vow to find the one who killed Falco and make sure justice in served. Rest in peace buddy, the skies are going to be a lot lonelier without you."

Master Hand motioned for Link to come up and the Hero Chosen by the Gods stepped forward, dressed the black tunic and hat that he wore with his "dark costume." Thankfully his skin wasn't purely black and his eyes were not purely red. Link looked back at Toon Link's casket before saying, "I'm going to be honest with you, I don't quite know exactly what to say here because I haven't had any real connection with Toon Link aside from the tournament. But I'll start by saying that out of all of us, he was one of the most worry-free. But he was also a diligent fighter and he stood with the rest of us in terms of his fighting ability. He didn't let his youthfulness hold him back. But he still knew how to have fun and how to be a kid. His personality is definitely one that is to be missed and I hope he can rest in peace." Link stood in front of the casket, which had a slot cut into the side of it for Toon Link's Master Sword. The Hero Chosen by the Gods took the cartoon-like Master Sword and prepared to put it into the slot on the casket. The Triforce of Courage on his left hand started to glow as he finished placing the sword into its final resting place.

Link went to sit down and Master Hand motioned for Red the Pokemon Trainer to speak. Red approached the podium in his standard red-themed clothing, as he didn't have a "dark costume" to speak of. Red's Pokemon, the small blue turtle Squirtle, the green dinosaur-like creature with a bulb on its back Ivysaur and the red dragon-like Charizard accompanied him. Red looked out at the people gathered and said, "Well, I'm not entirely sure what to say, to be honest. Back in my world I had a Jigglypuff at one point but that's not really the same as the Jigglypuff we fought with and against. From what I know, Jigglypuff was strong. She had to be if Master Hand picked her over Pokemon like Mewtwo and Charizard for the first tournament. But she was also kind. She didn't like fighting and instead tried to avoid it, usually by lulling those who were fighting to sleep. She would try to help those injured whenever she could. I think deep down, we were all friends with Jigglypuff, no matter how much we questioned her inclusion. Her kindness is sure to be missed." Red took three Pokeballs from his belt and recalled his Pokemon to them.

He stepped away from the podium and Master Hand returned to it. "Thank you for those nice speeches. Lunch will be served shortly in the dining hall. If I could get some of the stronger Smashers to help me put the caskets in the graves, that would be appreciated," Master Hand stated as he prepared to end the funeral service.

"Pit! Someone's attacking," Palutena shouted in Pit's mind.

Pit brandished his Mirror Shield as he shouted, "Everybody get down! Now!"

From a nearby tree, a shot was fired from a sniper rifle that Pit was able to deflect to the ground. "Everybody, get inside," Master Hand ordered as everyone scrambled to get up and get back inside.

Pit fired some Light Arrows in the general vicinity of where the shot came from and he said, "I'll cover you, go!" Fox took his blaster and Link took his bow and helped provide some cover fire as well.

The attacker kept firing his rifle with mixed success. Lucario fell to the ground as he held his arm and hissed, "Damn, this hurts!" Sonic turned around from the doors to the house and ran back to the injured Pokemon, helping him back up and getting him safely into the mansion.

A shot aimed at Fox was fired but the anthropomorphic fox saw it quickly enough to activate his Reflector, keeping him safe from the attack. The attacker appeared to be firing in all directions in an attempt to hit someone.

As the slower Smashers retreated to the mansion, one was hit in the back of the head with a bullet, taking him down.

"We need to get inside. Someone has to have called the police by now, so we should be able to wait it out inside until police show up," Pit said as he deflected a bullet heading for Bowser.

Link nodded and he said, "I agree, but if we try to run now, whoever is there will just pick us off."

"There's gotta be something we can do," Fox shouted, firing his blaster at the cluster of trees where the shooter was located.

Meta Knight's voice could be heard over a loudspeaker system, "All batteries, fire!" A number of cannon shells were fired from the hangar bay, which had the roof open, and hit the ground near the cluster of trees, causing enough commotion for the three Smashers to get inside.

Once the three were safely inside and Captain Falcon closed and locked the doors, Pit said, "I saw Diddy Kong's body out there. Do you think Donkey Kong knows?"

Sonic, who had just returned from bringing Lucario to the infirmary, said, "Oh he knows. He's trying to drown his sorrows in banana-flavored ice cream."

Mewtwo, who was near the window, remarked, "Do you think whoever that was is gone?" As soon as he finished asking his question, police sirens were heard as a few police cars arrived on the scene.

"Well, if that person hasn't left yet, they will now," Link stated.

A single gunshot was heard and the window Mewtwo was next to shattered. Glass fragments flew across the main entryway as the Genetic Pokemon hit the ground. Everyone stood in shock as they noticed a single bullet hole in the Pokemon's head. The wound started to close up slightly but then stopped as life left the Genetic Pokemon. Mewtwo was dead.

* * *

><p><strong>[1]<strong> - This is a reference to the Brawl Taunts series of videos. In one of them, Sonic says "I'm too cheap!" as a parody of his "You're too slow!" taunt in the game.

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><p>And the list of the dead continue to rise. Now Toon Link, Jigglypuff, Diddy Kong and Mewtwo join the ranks of the dead. And there's still more killing to be had! I've decided that this will be six chapters long in total, so we're a third of the way through. I have a few more deaths planned, but no spoilers! And just like it says in the description, some other people who are not "copies" have died. By the way, I consider Jigglypuff a copy of Kirby due to their puffball-ness. I killed her over Kirby because lets face it, for what reason is Jigglypuff actually in the game? She's not a mascot for Pokemon like Pikachu and she isn't strong like Lucario. And yes, I consider Jigglypuff a girl, even though there can be male Jigglypuff in the Pokemon games. Anyways, thanks for reading and review if you could, I sure appreciate it. Until next time!<p> 


	3. Recovering from Loss

Welcome everyone to Day 3 of New Chapter Week! Though I did drop the ball on it a little bit, more details on that later.

Disclaimer: Smash Bros and it's characters are not mine. They are property of Nintendo, SEGA and Konami.

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><p><span>Response to Reviews:<span>

Links Little Brother: Well, the identity of the killer will not be revealed until the very end. One thing I can say is that it isn't Tabuu. I believe he was completely killed when Subspace closed up. As for Lucas, no promises (evil grin).

writes4u: Right you are, Diddy Kong and Mewtwo are not copies. But as the summary says, some non-copies will end up dying at some point. For the most part though, the rest of the deaths will be copies.

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><p>Dr. Mario was close to having a nervous breakdown. Not so much from the deaths of two more Smashers, but from the rest of the aftermath of the attack during the funeral. He was the only physician the Mansion had, and prior to his recent re-arrival, patients were sent to the nearby hospital. So, when he had to take care of multiple gunshot wounds simultaneously, it was suffice to say that he was nervous. Lucario, Ness, Wario and Young Link had all been hit by the fire in one way or another.<p>

Lucario had it the worst. The bullet that hit him in the arm seemed to hit a lot of muscle and he was losing a fair amount of blood, so he needed the most attention. Wario, on the other hand, had it the best, as his fat seemed to absorb much of the damage from the bullet.

Regardless, Dr. Mario seemed to be at wit's end until the door to the infirmary opened and Zelda said, "Dr. Mario, Peach and I have come to help."

"Oh, thank-a god," Dr. Mario sighed in relief and Peach and Zelda tended to those who were less severely hit so he could focus on Lucario. After a minute of working to patch the Aura Pokemon up, Dr. Mario said, "Lucario, I'm surprised how well you're taking the pain."

Lucario opened his eyes and said, "My training has made me slightly more resistant to pain. In addition, I'm meditating to take some more pressure off the pain."

"Oh, sorry for interrupting," the doctor commented as Lucario closed his eyes again.

Zelda was busy using her magic to help Young Link, who was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. "I would ask Dr. Mario for a better assessment, but I would say you shouldn't walk on that leg for at least a week. And after that, nothing too strenuous for a few weeks after that," Zelda commented as her magic did what it could to heal the young Hylian.

Young Link sighed and said, "Well this sucks. How am I supposed to compete in the tournament?"

Zelda sighed as well and remarked, "To be honest, I'm not sure if the tournament will still go on at this point. Master Hand's under a lot of stress with all the deaths recently. I hope he's doing all right now."

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><p>Master hand was in his office, smashing himself against the wall. The glove lamented, "Why can't I protect these people? Why do they keep dying under my watch? Why? Why? WHY?"<p>

The glove fell to the ground and heard a quiet voice whimpering, "M-M-Master Hand?"

Lifting himself off the ground, Master Hand saw the source of the voice was Luigi, and he managed to calmly say, "Luigi? What brings you here?"

"I was-a talking to Lucas and Olimar. The three-a of us want to go somewhere else-a, for the time being," the green-suited plumber said.

Master Hand was quiet for a few moments before he nodded very slightly and said, "Yes that may just be what it takes to ensure your safety. Go somewhere else, where you'll feel safe. And make sure you have a way to contact us. If anything happens contact us immediately."

Luigi nodded and said, "Thank you for-a understanding."

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><p>After the police finished chasing the killer off and performing a fairly lackluster investigation, they left, letting some of the other Smashers to look around. Fox in particular was investigating the tree where the killer had been shooting from. "Damn it! There's no evidence pointing to where the killer came from or where they're going," Fox shouted, getting the attention of Ike, Samus and Pit, the others who were searching.<p>

Pit looked around before suggesting, "Let me ask Lady Palutena if she can help us."

Ike nodded and replied, "Might as well. It could give us some leads."

"Lady Palutena, can you hear me," Pit shouted to the sky.

Inside his head he heard the Goddess of Light reply, "Of course I can hear you Pit. I'm always looking out for you."

Pit nodded and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Anyways, can you try to find out anything about the guy who had shot at us?"

"Well, I don't have any clue who it is, but their energy signature seems to be coming from a warehouse a few miles from here. I can take you and one other person there, but I wouldn't recommend attacking," Palutena commented.

"Seriously? That'd be great," Pit commented before asking, "I can bring one other person with me to spy on whoever this killer is. Does anyone want to go?"

Fox immediately nodded and said, "Yes, I do."

"Sorry Fox, but I think I should go. We're doing this just to spy and right now you're focused on taking them down. It might not end well if you go," Ike commented as he walked over to Pit.

Samus nodded and said, "I know how much you want to take this person down, but Ike's right. We need to study this person first, then we can take them out."

Fox muttered, "Fine, but you better get some damn good information about this creep."

"Don't worry I will. And keep in mind the possibility that this killer may not be the same one that killed Falco," Ike noted.

Pit shouted to the sky again, "Alright Lady Palutena! We're ready to go!" A golden beacon descended from the skies and whisked Pit and Ike away to their destination.

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><p>The golden beacon that pulled Pit and Ike away appeared outside an abandoned warehouse and the two Smashers landed on the ground. Ike and Pit walked toward the door and Pit noted, "Remember, since we're spying on this person, we have to be quiet."<p>

"Don't worry," Ike remarked, "I had to sneak around more times than I can count during The Mad King's War and the war three years after that."

The two entered the warehouse and looked around at the surroundings. There were a couple of storage crates stacked up in a corner and through the middle of the building were tons of shelves, many of which had random objects on them. Some random furniture was scattered around the building. Pit glanced at Ike and whispered, "Let's split up, see what we can find out and leave."

"Sounds good to me," replied the mercenary. Ike walked over toward the storage crates, looking in all the nooks and crannies for where the killer could be. He heard something hit the ground behind him and he asked, "Did you find something Pit?"

There was no answer and Ike turned around just in time to avoid being stabbed by a knife. "So I take it you're the killer," Ike asked as he held his sword up to defend him. The person wielding the knife was wearing a cloak so nothing else could be seen about them.

The person said nothing and threw the knife to the side before drawing a sword of their own. The killer brought their sword down over his head vertically, a blow that Ike was able to parry easily. The cloaked figure then tried swinging the sword horizontally, but Ike jumped back to avoid being struck. A diagonal slice was attempted next, and Ike parried this strike as well. Ike swung his sword, Ragnell, at his attacker in an attempt to scare his attacker away. The cloaked figure jumped back before throwing a few knives at Ike, who managed to block or dodge the weapons.

A few light arrows were fired at the cloaked figure and Pit ran over, shouting, "Stop!" The cloaked figure deployed a smoke bomb and used the cover to make his escape. When the smoke finally cleared, Pit asked, "So did you learn anything?"

"Yeah, be careful when trying to find the killer, he almost took me out," Ike remarked as the two exited the building.

Pit nodded and said, "Good to know. Lady Palutena! Take us back please!" The golden beacon surrounded the two again and pulled them away to return them to the Smash Mansion.

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><p>Inside the hangar building, Luigi was standing around with Lucas and Olimar. The space adventurer was currently working on his rocket to make it suitable for multiple people. Also present were Mario and Ness, who were there to see them off. "Are you-a sure about this Luigi," Mario asked, worrying about his brother.<p>

Luigi nodded and said, "Yes. I'm scared Mario. I don't-a want to end up-a like the others. Don't-a worry, we'll keep each other safe."

"I take it you feel the same way Lucas," Ness asked his friend.

The blond-haired boy nodded and said, "Y-yeah. I'm really worried something bad will happen to me so I'm going to just wait this out."

Ness nodded and said, "All right, I won't stop you. Just be careful."

Lucas nodded as the door opened and Pikachu entered along with another yellow mouse creature. "Pikachu, Pichu? What are you two doing here," Ness asked the two mouse Pokemon.

Pichu pointed to himself and then the spaceship that Olimar was working on. "You want-a to go with us," Luigi asked to which Pichu nodded.

Mario looked to the his fellow veteran fighter and asked, "And what-a about you Pikachu? Are you going?"

The electric rodent shook his head so Ness guessed, "Are you seeing Pichu off like me and Mario?"

Pikachu nodded before saying something to Pichu in their language. Pichu responded similarly before hugging the larger of the two Pokemon. Pikachu hugged back for a moment before they separated. A few moments later Olimar blew his whistle signaling that the rocket was ready to go. Pichu and Lucas entered the spacecraft before Fox entered the hanger.

"Good to see that I haven't missed you," Fox said before placing something in Luigi's hand, "If you guys need something, don't hesitate to call us. We'll track your call and find you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Luigi said as he entered the rocket.

Olimar nodded to everyone and said, "We'll be back as soon as this whole thing blows over. The sooner that happens, the better."

"You don't-a have to tell us that," Mario replied, shaking the spaceman's hand. Olimar turned and got into the rocket and those in observance backed up. The thrusters ignited as the spacecraft lifted into the air, flying out of the top of the large sunroof.

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><p>Outside the mansion, at the top of a tall tree, the masked murderer was watching the rocket flying off. They took out a gun and fired it once at the spacecraft. The figure put the gun away and pulled out a smaller device. It was quiet for a moment before it beeped as a dot appeared on the screen. The killer smirked to himself and said, "Perfect."<p>

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><p>Donkey Kong was sitting along in the darkness of his bedroom. He was a mixture of emotions, but sadness prevailed over any other. One of the conditions for Diddy Kong to leave for the third tournament was that he had to look after the younger monkey. He had failed in this mission. What would he tell the rest of the DK crew? He couldn't face the rest of the DK Crew after what happened. A slight knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts. The monkey grunted, and the person at the door opened it, letting themselves in. It was Fox, who sat in a chair near the saddened monkey.<p>

"I'm just going to cut to the chase here. This killer has taken our respective best friends from us. What do you say about teaming up and hunting them down? We'll take them out," Fox offered, extending a hand to seal the deal.

Donkey Kong looked at Fox for a moment before the large ape grinned and grabbed Fox's hand.

"Glad to see you're with me," Fox said before he turned around and added, "I'll need look at the evidence the killer left behind. I'll let you know when we make a move."

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><p>Lucario was also residing in his room, but for different reasons that Donkey Kong. He was resting his arm, as he couldn't use it for a while. In addition, he was meditating over the most recent turn of events. Diddy Kong and Mewtwo had died during the attack on the funeral and while he wasn't necessarily close to either of them, he was still a bit sad.<p>

He was sadder over the death of Mewtwo because of the similarities they shared. True, Mewtwo was an ass at times and he was egotistical, but they shared some attributes as well, their telepathy and the way they used their powers in battle chief among them.

Red entered the room and asked, "Hey Lucario. You doing all right?"

"I suppose," the Aura Pokemon remarked, "Though I'm feeling a bit useless now. I can't help stop whoever that person was due to my injured arm. I also feel a pit powerless because I couldn't help any of our companions who have died."

"Well don't worry, we're going to do everything we can to stop the killer and bring them to justice," Red stated as he prepared to leave, "If you need anything, just ask."

Lucario nodded and said, "Thanks."

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><p>Samus Aran was in the hangar, working on her ship. Also present were Captain Falcon, Meta Knight and Wolf, working on their respective ships. Samus sighed before turning to the other 3 and said, "Guys, I think we need to team up and work together to find that killer."<p>

"I completely agree with you," Captain Falcon said, "And given our work as bounty hunters, I think it'll be fairly easy."

Meta Knight nodded and said, "Yes, even though I'm not a bounty hunter, my training should be beneficial to our cause."

Wolf snorted and asked, "And why should I help you?"

"For one, it'll get Fox off your back. Despite the evidence pointing away from you, he's still convinced you set all of this in motion. In addition, you helping us would help us find this guy. The killer appears to be a bit similar to you," Samus stated, not looking up from the modifications she was making on her ship.

Wolf glared at the bounty hunter before grunting, "Fine, I'll help. But only because I'm worried for my safety. Nobody else's."

"That'll work," Captain Falcon said before adding, "So what's the plan?" "I have to do some research. I'll get back to you tomorrow with the plan," Samus said as she completed the work on her ship and left the hangar.

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><p>Solid Snake was busy observing the small forested area where the killer had launched their attack from. He found the empty casings of the bullets fired and was able to approximate where the shots were fired from. "Hm. There has to be some shred of evidence here. I know the police looked the place over but they didn't try very hard," Snake mused as he climbed into the trees to get a better look at where he assumed the killer had attacked from. He jumped from branch to branch, trying to locate any evidence the killer left behind. Snake was about to give up when he spotted a scrap of cloth with some red on it attached to a branch. Snake picked it up and said, "Now what do we have here?"<p>

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><p>A short, deathless chapter to show the aftermath of the events of the previous chapter. Now, if you followed some of my other stories, you would know that I wanted this past week to be a week of new chapters. Well, I dropped the ball on that. Schoolwork and Team Fortress 2 will distract you. However, I am still referring to this as "Day 3" of "New Chapter Week." If anyone reads my other stories, I will conclude "New Chapter Week" with the newest chapter of Total Drama High School, hopefully by this Friday evening. No matter when the update is, it will be soon.<p>

Anyways, the events of this chapter have helped to set up the plot of the rest of the story. As for what the plot points are, you'll have to wait to find out. Please Review if you liked this and if you want a certain character to live, you could still sway my judgement. Until Next Time!


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